Concrete boots already for new EBRD energy policy? Potential support for Egyptian coal projects attracts criticism
May 14, 2014
In what is shaping up to be another controversial chapter in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s already troubled entry into Egypt in 2012, questions are being asked of the international financial institution as to whether it intends to support coal power financing, specifically to assist Egypt’s cement industry.
The village of Junkovac near the Kolubara mine – neglected and destroyed
May 9, 2014
The story of Junkovac in Serbia highlights systemic violations of human rights, neglect and wrong doings in the lignite mining sector that have not changed since the involvement of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development began in 2000. One of most recent cases of violations of human and property rights involves the illegal dumping of overburden from the mines at the Junkovac site that for years has been a threat to the properties and lives of hundreds of people in the nearby village.
Planned contract for Plomin C coal plant most likely illegal state aid, says legal analysis
May 5, 2014
Zagreb, 05.05.2014 – A planned long-term power purchase agreement in which Croatian electricity company HEP will commit to buying at least 50% of electricity from the planned Plomin C power plant for 20-30 years will most likely be illegal under EU state aid rules, according to a new legal analysis by Hungary’s Environmental Management and Law Association (EMLA).
Legal opinion on the possible financing scheme of Plomin C and its compatibility with EU rules on state aid and public procurement (public summary)
May 5, 2014
This legal analysis argues that the tender arrangement for the Plomin C coal-fired power plant seriously questions the feasibility of the entire investment, not just from an environmental point of view as demonstrated by Zelena Akcija beforehand, but by now also from a competition point of view.
New online toolkit to help tackle the Kings of Coal in southeast Europe and Turkey
May 5, 2014
Coal investments are a dying breed in many countries, but some investors are still ready to try their luck in southeast Europe and Turkey. For campaigners who want to communicate with these actors Bankwatch has developed the user-friendly online toolkit Kings of Coal in three languages.
The case of a ‘secret’ coal plant in Turkey suggests a polluted future for the country
April 28, 2014
The SOCAR Refinery project and its ‘secret’ coal power plant show the magnitude of the problems that the mixture of business interests, coal and neglect of local health concerns may cause in Turkey.
New Balkan lignite plants may breach EU pollution legislation before they even operate (legal analysis + video)
April 2, 2014
Brussels, April 2 — A series of at least five new lignite power plants planned in Western Balkan countries which aspire to European Union membership risk violating Energy Community pollution legislation before they even start generating electricity, warns a new legal briefing by EU-based legal organisation Frank Bold, published today.
The Energy Community’s decision to implement Chapter III of the EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive and its implications for new coal power plants in the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine
April 2, 2014
Due to the Energy Community Ministerial Council’s decision to apply the EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive, new combustion plants in the Energy Community countries have to be planned with the IED taken into consideration. Currently, there are a number of investments in new combustion plants in progress which would not comply with the new requirements if they are realised as planned. It follows, that these combustion plants would be in breach of the acquis on environment after 1 January 2018, in other words by the time they start operation.
Whose Energy Community? Treaty improvements urgently needed
March 20, 2014
The EU-backed Energy Community Treaty, signed in 2005 and comprising the western Balkan countries, Ukraine and Moldova, has been widely hailed as encouraging regional co-operation. It also sets a legislative framework for the signatories (also known as the contracting parties) that should contribute, along with the EU accession process, to addressing the environmental and social impacts of the energy sector. Indeed, examples of the Energy Community’s added value are its adoption of renewable energy targets in October 2012, as well as a requirement for power plants to comply with EU emissions limits.
Slovenia’s shoddy Šoštanj 6 busts the myth of cheap lignite power
March 20, 2014
Bankwatch has been monitoring and campaigning against the ill-conceived EBRD- and EIB-financed Unit 6 at Šoštanj in Slovenia for several years now. Yet the project never ceases to amaze with its myriad flaws and scandals – and the first few months of 2014 have been no exception.
